Detoxifying Digital

24/07/2024

Election interference isn't a new phenomenon, but the rise of digital technologies has brought this issue to the forefront of public consciousness. Our inaugural Working Paper explores the complicated landscape of foreign election interference, offering an overview of past and emerging threats.

🔹 Highlights:

➡ We offer a definition of foreign interference based on international law.

➡ Case studies, such as interference in the 2019 Canadian Federal Election and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election show just how complicated it is to define actionable foreign interference.

➡ We explore the role of AI in the future threat landscape.

📘 Why This Matters: Our research highlights that while the direct impact on election outcomes has been limited, the perception of interference can undermine trust in democratic institutions.

📢 Read the full report to learn about the threats and solutions for safeguarding our electoral processes: https://lnkd.in/eqWKGZm2

19/06/2024

This article nicely summarises most of the major issues surrounding platform policy and the difficulties in solving them. For the social media companies, I doubt saying they are shielded from liability due to protections from Section 230 in the US and similar laws elsewhere will be enough to hold the investigations and lawsuits at bay.

While I am wary of doing away with Section 230 protections completely, policies to counter the harmful effects need to be developed and considered. Perhaps it is a time for more creative thinking?

Kebene Wodajo & Catherine McDonald ask, what is producing and sustaining platform enabled violence? And why is it so difficult to regulate?

18/06/2024

Compensating creators should be at the heart of platforms' business models as they profit handsomely from the work of those who craft content people want to see.

Making it more difficult for new and established creators to benefit means a) content creators will abandon or scale back their channels and b) platforms will become a wasteland of bottom feeding and AI-generated content that will be of little benefit to anyone. What do you think?

Earning a decent, reliable income as a social-media creator is getting harder, as platforms pay less for popular posts and brands get pickier about sponsorship deals. A possible TikTok ban is adding to anxiety over job stability.

16/05/2024

When does foreign interference in elections cross the line from nuisance to damaging? Our new video explores this topic:

This video provides a very high-level discussion on foreign interference in democratic elections with examples from the United States and Canada from Russia ...

04/03/2024

🚫 Say NO to Deception! 🚫 Reports reveal the circulation of AI-generated fake images featuring Trump with black voters.

05/02/2024

Not all lies are created equal! Misinformation: accidental mistake. Disinformation: deliberate deceit. Mal-information: twisted truth. Know the difference & stay informed!

08/06/2023

Civilian casualties and violations of international humanitarian law: the dark side of fully autonomous weapons. Our new short video sheds light on the ethical concerns regarding killer robots.

07/06/2023

📹In our new short video, we shed light on the legal challenges faced in the battle against defamation and the evolving responsibilities of online platforms. "

06/06/2023

The internet is a powerful tool, but it can also be exploited. We shed light on Facebook's efforts to combat terrorist propaganda and safeguard online platforms from malicious actors.

10/05/2023

😮 Meta's VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, had a change of plans when his meeting with the Canadian government took an unexpected turn.

07/05/2023

Foreign spies are increasingly using LinkedIn as a tool for intelligence gathering, according to Western intelligence agencies. 🕵️‍♂️💼

05/05/2023

Is AI taking over the creative world? 🎨 Watch our latest video to see why we should be careful about relying too heavily on machines and why human imagination is still essential for great art.

03/05/2023

Content moderators play a critical role in keeping our online communities safe, but the mental toll it takes is often overlooked.

18/04/2023

From diagnosing illnesses to developing new treatments, AI is changing how healthcare is managed.

14/04/2023

Artifical Intelligence throws around a lot of complex jargon, like Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Artificial Intelligence itself. 😵 This short video explains these concepts in simple terms.

10/04/2023

AI ethics require input from ethicists, social scientists, legal experts, and impacted communities. Leaving it to engineers alone can result in a narrow perspective.

17/01/2023

I'm doing the first Detoxifying Digital livestream tomorrow night! It's more of a test run before I formally launch the channel. If you would like to join me I will be going LIVE on YouTube at 7 p.m. CET / 1 p.m. EST.

The link is here: https://youtu.be/K5HqSEcVieY

30/12/2021

This should be only the starting point in designing the metaverse. 👇

There is much more that needs to be included but understanding user groups and the context they work in is at least the first place to start.

VirtualReality

29/12/2021

The metaverse, the way it is envisioned by Meta implies an entirely new space, one that transcends the space we usually think of when we access our social media accounts.

This raises an entirely new set of questions of what constitutes personal space. And who will own it? These questions need to be adequately dealt with before mass adoption or large-scale rollout.

VirtualReality

28/12/2021

What are your thoughts on the metaverse? Will it enhance the human experience or simply create more problems?

VirtualReality

27/12/2021

From your perspective, what are the main components of the metaverse? Are there any missing from this list?

VirtualReality

25/12/2021

💡Question: Does social media need regulation or does it still need -style protection from liability?

Pick one 👇

24/12/2021

This question, from a paper by Carl Ohman and Nikita Aggarwal in the August 2020 edition of the Internet Policy Review, raises interesting questions.

The inaugural episode of Detoxifying Digital will explore what would happen if Facebook went offline and what it would mean for the overall social media landscape.

🗓️Coming February 2022!

23/12/2021

Imagine if Facebook one day suddenly went offline - permanently, either through a business decision, government decree, civil unrest, the reason isn't important, just imagine you woke up one day and Facebook no longer existed, how do you think the world would react? How would YOU react?

Given the events of earlier this fall, it is no longer a hypothetical question and one that has far reaching implications.

What would you do?

22/12/2021

Here is an interesting thought experiment. Imagine if Facebook one day suddenly went offline - permanently, either through a business decision, government decree, civil unrest, the reason important, just imagine you woke up one day and Facebook no longer existed, how do you think the world would react? How would YOU react?

Given the events of earlier this fall, it is no longer a hypothetical question and one that has far reaching implications.

21/12/2021

There are many ways that Facebook could just disappear one day. Few of them are good. Below are a few ways that Facebook could go the way of Friendster or MySpace, but with consequences that far outweigh the impact of those losses.

What reasons can you think of that could force Facebook offline? Let us know here 👇

29/09/2021

The e-book for Detoxifying Digital will soon be able for download! It is a FREE resource meant to give you a preview of the content on the upcoming podcast. Coming 4 October 2021!

11/08/2021

07/07/2021